[Dixielandjazz] Black members of Jazz Ltd in my time as trumpet chir

[Don Ingle]

Stephen G Barbone wrote:
>>
>> eupher dude <eupher61 at hotmail.com> wrote (Polite Snip)
>>
>>
>> I've often read on DJML that it's a shame more African American 
>> musicians don't play OKOM.  No wonder.  Yes, the current crop of 
>> "artists" (using the term loosely) have no problem with using slang, 
>> vernacular, and rhetoric that would draw a lawsuit against most 
>> non-black people.  That's fine.  They have no respect for themselves, 
>> tough, but I won't go down that road too.
>
> Folks, shouldn't put too much credence in DJML posts that blacks do 
> not play OKOM. Nor should they stereotype "the current crop of artists".
>
> The concert our 6 piece Dixieland band played, with Jonathan Russell 
> as our guest last Sunday, had 3 black OKOM players. The concert I did 
> Monday had 4 black OKOM players. They are gentlemen as well as 
> excellent jazz musicians; don't use "slang vernacular and rhetoric 
> that would draw a lawsuit against most non black people" but probably 
> would not be surprised such an unfair characterization by a white 
> Dixielander.
>
> Sometimes I front a band version where all the other players are 
> black. Same story.
>
> Point being, there are idiot musicians of every color, race, creed. 
> And there are wonderful musicians of every color, race and creed. As a 
> working jazz musician, with a network of both black and white jazz 
> musicians, working every one of my 160 gigs this year with blacks in 
> my band, I speak from actual experience, not some theory of pre 
> determined opinion.
>
>
> Cheers,
> Steve Barbone
> www.myspace.com/barbonestreetjazzband
>
>
>
>
>
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During most of my five years in the house band at Chicago's Jazz Ltd. 
inthe '60's the black musicians I worked with were not "tokens", but 
just great players and good people I was proud to have as friends.
At one time we had Freddie Kohlman on drums, Manny Sayles, banjo/guitar, 
Rozelle Claxton, piano, and Quinn Wilson on tuba - a veteran of Jelly 
Roll Morton's Chicago recoding dates and later Fatha Hines bassist in 
the 30's. With Bill Rhinhardt on clar, Jim Beebe on trombone and myself 
on trpt, we were outnumbered racially but never gave  a thought to it - 
too busy making Chicago Jazz the way it was suppoed to be. Jean and I 
were Godparents to Quinn's son Ronnie - and very proud that he and Opal 
would honor us so.
I agree that you may not see many blacks playing this style these days - 
but hey, I don't see a lot of OKOM players playing either except in the 
remnant centers like Frisco and L.A. or NY.
If a man can play and well and swing, who gives a flying fart if he is 
black, white or any color d'jour.
Don Ingle